Remember the movie with Jack Black? I remember buying a guitar when I was in high school. I started my weekly lessons, make that my short lived weekly lessons. I was bored to tears. Literally. I hated it.
Wanting to be Ann or Nancy Wilson, maybe Pat Benatar, or Debbi Harry, I certainly didn't want to learn how to read music. I could play chords by ear, I just needed to learn how to string them together.
My older teacher wanted to teach music theory. This wasn't going to happen. The first song he tried teaching me was Autumn Leaves, huh?
Then I decided I'd play drums. I watched Karen Carpenter and figured I could do that. And how cool would that be? Girls playing drums were rare. My parents, remembering my guitar affair, wouldn't buy me drums.
They bought me sticks instead. A set of sticks.
Can you imagine the
How uncool. I stashed them in my room, next to my guitar. My room looked like Ms. Rock Star stayed there, but in truth, it all just collected dust.
It's 35 years too late for me, but I am excited for kids age 7-17 in my area that have an interest in playing in a band. A rock band. Forget about boring after school private dull windowless room lessons 'cuz the SCHOOL of ROCK has come to Rochester Michigan.
Learn to play in a rock band by professional musicians. On a stage. With a loud professional sound system. They advertise teaching how to play songs by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, AC/DC, Zappa, Queen. This is a win-win situation for kids and parents. No basement or garage band noise for parents. Equipment and direction from musicians that enjoy teaching and forming rock bands for the kids.
I drove by the studio and can report there were no signs of groupies or Jack Daniel's.
8 comments:
Music theory didnt work for me either as a kid. But as a grown up (cough) i love playing my electric keyboard!
Learning to play on stage with musicians sounds realy cool! Oh to be young!
Oh my kids would LOVE to do that, unfortunately they are anywhere near us. Maybe in the future. Thanks for the info! p.s. Pick up that guitar, it's never too late!
We got our 15 year old a guitar for Christmas last year, and started him off with guitar lessons which he promptly declared he hated. So he stopped having them, and just plucked at it a bit. Then I found him a hip, young guy who is in a band and gives lessons on the side. His idea of teaching is to tell the kids to pick a song they want to learn, and he teaches it to them. My kid knows nothing about music theory and can't read a note of music, but he can play Sweet Child O'Mine AWESOME!
Just this morning my boys asked me to teach them guitar. They think because I own two that I can play them.
Tonight we'll give it a shot.
(BTW, unrelated to this post, but I know you'd want to know, if you Google:
Delmer +snot
Your website returns as the first hit.)
Not even any junior drugs? Bah.
I went through the guitar thing too. My teacher was probably a brillant musician but he was so hung up on theory I quit after a few years not being able to play a thing. My brother took from another teacher some years later and can read music as well as play by ear.
My husband is a professional guitarist - he thinks everyone should learn to sight read and theory. However, he is totally self-taught.
I took lessons when I was 30. Learned how to play Hendrix' "Hey Joe"!
Don't tell Shortman. I'll have to move to Rochester.
Post a Comment